Federal judge in Texas says U.S. government owes Kansas $142 million

TOPEKA – Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt and Gov. Jeff Colyer are touting a federal court ruling handed down Tuesday that says the federal government must repay hundreds of millions of dollars to six states – including $142 million to Kansas – for costs they were forced to pay through their Medicaid programs to help finance the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.

But Schmidt also said in a statement Wednesday that Kansas should not count on getting that money any time soon because the decision is likely to be appealed.

The case involves what is called the Health Insurance Provider Fee, which the federal government levies on insurance companies to subsidize the cost of discount insurance provided through federal and state exchanges, including Healthcare.gov.